工作
gung¹ zok³
In Cantonese, the English word 'work' is translated as 工作 (gung¹ zok³).
工作 is used as a noun to refer to labour, employment, occupation or a specific job.
Meaning: labour, employment, occupation, job (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term 工作 is composed of two characters: 工 (gung¹), meaning 'work' or 'labor' and 作 (zok³), meaning 'to do' or 'to make'.
Which one should you use?
While 工作 is a formal noun, the phrase 做嘢 is the common colloquial way to express the verb 'to work' or 'to do things'. Additionally, the colloquial idiom 搵食 (wan2 sik6), which literally means 'to find food', is used to refer to working specifically to make a living.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
工作 is a formal term typically used in written language or official contexts. In casual conversation, you will more frequently hear the colloquial verb 做嘢.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
gung¹ zok³
When do people say it?
When speaking about the necessity of earning a living, people often use the idiom 搵食.
Did you know?
- The character 工 in 工作 is a pictograph that originally depicted a carpenter's square, symbolizing the precision and tools of a craftsman.
- In Hong Kong, people often blend Cantonese and English by saying 做work, using the Cantonese verb for 'do' with the English noun 'work' in a single sentence.
- The idiom 搵食 refers to working to survive, but it is often used as a polite excuse to avoid a favor or a conflict by implying that the speaker's livelihood depends on their professional relationship.
Examples in context
- 其他國家嘅好多公司都有學徒計劃去培訓工人，但係大部分美國公司都唔會。過咗幾年，一個工人就會慢慢噉獲得去執行埋晒啲複雜工作所需嘅技能。Many companies in other countries have apprenticeship programs to train workers, but most American companies do not. Apprenticeships often combine classroom training with practical work experience. Over a few years, a worker slowly gains the skills needed to perform complex jobs.This sentence illustrates the use of 工作 when referring to complex jobs or tasks.Tatoeba #12908230 by Matthewyau1367, translation #12264126 by Cangarejo
- 呢項工作嘅重要性係兩樣嘢：佢為科學家提供咗一個新嘅途徑去調查對抗緊一種影響大量貧窮人士嘅疾病，同埋佢引起埋對一種喺發達國家大大噉被忽略咗嘅疾病嘅關注。The importance of this work is twofold: it provides scientists a new avenue to investigate for fighting a disease that affects a large number of impoverished people and it brings attention to a disease that is largely ignored in developed countries.This sentence shows how 工作 can refer to the importance of a specific body of work or research.Tatoeba #12908205 by Matthewyau1367, translation #12327359 by Cangarejo
- 唔單止有錢人多咗，而且做得幾好嘅人都多咗，而且佢哋全部都願意為呢啲服務付出代價，無論係瑜伽教練定係狗行定係任務跑。而且喺分佈嘅下三分之一嘅人，真係需要呢類工作嘅人多過以往任何時候。Not only are there more rich people, but there are more people who are doing fairly well, and all of them are willing to pay for these services, whether it's yoga instructors or dog walking or task running. And there are more people than ever in the lower third of the distribution that really need this sort of work.This sentence demonstrates how 工作 is used to describe different types of employment or work, such as service roles.Tatoeba #13488550 by Davidgo5867, translation #8322717 by Hybrid
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their careers at a cafe.
- 家明 Ka Ming你而家份工作忙唔忙？nei5 ji4 gaa3 fan6 gung1 zok3 mong4 m4 mong4?Is your current job busy?
- 美玲 Mei Ling好忙，但我好鍾意呢份工作。hou2 mong4, daan6 ngo5 hou2 zung1 ji3 ni1 fan6 gung1 zok3.Very busy, but I really like this job.
- 家明 Ka Ming你係咪想搵新工作？nei5 hai6 mai6 soeng2 wan2 san1 gung1 zok3?Are you thinking about looking for a new job?
- 美玲 Mei Ling唔係，我好滿意而家嘅工作。m4 hai6, ngo5 hou2 mun6 ji3 ji4 gaa3 ge3 gung1 zok3.No, I am very satisfied with my work now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “work” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
